Youth development is pivotal to the growth and development of the country’s economy and recognising this fact, Government continues to provide the requisite budget allocation to ensure Guyana’s youths are empowered with the skills and knowledge needed to improve their own livelihoods, and contribute to nation building.During the 2014 Budget presentation on Monday, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh announced that this year more than 3,500 youths will benefit from continued training under programmes similar to the National Training Programme for Youth Employment (NTPYE) administered by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP), the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST)).
Additionally, a hinterland training programme under the BIT which is expected to target 150 persons has begun in three communities in Region 9; Achiwuib, Karaudaranau and Annai, in order to build capacity in carpentry, joinery and catering.
In 2013, more than 2,300 young people benefited from training under the NTPYE and the YEST programmes, along with other training programmes conducted by BIT in areas such as carpentry, masonry, air conditioning and refrigeration, electrical installation, cosmetology, information technology and supervisory management.
Over $61 million was also spent on equipping, maintaining and rehabilitating training centres nationwide, and on advancing works at the juvenile correctional facility.